Assistant Psychologist

Practice Plus Group; West Tanfield; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company pension scheme

25 days annual leave (+ holidays)

Job summary

Practice Plus Group is recruiting an Assistant Psychologist to join the team at HMP Wakefield, a high security prison for males in Wakefield city centre. You will support the psychological care of patients, run assessments, and deliver psychological interventions under supervision.

The role is full-time (37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday 08:00–16:00) with an annual salary up to £33,510. Benefits include bespoke induction and ongoing professional development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Hold a Degree in Psychology.
• A Master’s degree would be beneficial.
• Experience in a paid Assistant Psychologist role (prison, community, or psychiatric setting).
• Experience facilitating patient therapeutic groups and delivering assessments/interventions.

Responsibilities

• Support psychological care for patients throughout their journey.
• Run clinics, assessments and 1-1 sessions with patients.
• Perform triage assessments and identify patient needs.
• Prepare and deliver psychological intervention groups (trauma-informed).
• Provide assessments and interventions under supervision of a qualified psychologist.
• Work with patients with complex needs in secure environments.

Skills

Degree in Psychology

Masters degree (beneficial)

Experience as Assistant Psychologist

Facilitating group therapy sessions

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Psychology

Master’s degree (beneficial)

Job description

+ MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO EVERY LIFEWe have a fantastic opportunity for an Assistant Psychologist to join the team at HMP Wakefield, a Category A / high security prison for males in Wakefield city centre.

About The Role

UNLOCK YOUR BEST WORK LIFE + MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO EVERY LIFEWe have a fantastic opportunity for an Assistant Psychologist to join the team at HMP Wakefield, a Category A / high security prison for males in Wakefield city centre. This is a fantastic opportunity to work in an everchanging, challenging environment, which is hugely rewarding! You will be a key part of the mental health team, supporting stress tolerance, harm reduction, emotional dis-regulation, trauma, anxiety and more!

Hours:

This is a full time role, 37.5 hours per week. Working Monday to Friday 08:00 - 16:00.

Salary:

This position is full time, you’ll receive an annual salary of up to £33,510 per annum.

How will we support you?

• Bespoke induction, including our Introducing Health in Justice training course
• Competency framework
• Regional and national career development opportunities
• Our bespoke Learning Management System to address your learning needs
• Support from the wider team

Candidates are required to have a Legal right to work in the UK and due to the nature of the role, offers of employment will be subject to additional vetting and security checks

What you'll be doing

As our new Assistant Psychologist, some of your duties will include:

• Support the psychological care of patients throughout their journey with us
• Run clinics, assessments, and 1-1 sessions with patients
• Triage assessments and identifying patient needs
• Prepare and deliver psychological intervention group sessions (trauma informed)
• Provide psychological assessment and interventions under the supervision of the qualified psychologist
• Work with people with complex needs, which can present / lead to challenging situations or behaviours
• Work within the Assessment Care in Custody Teamwork (ACCT) process, and contribute towards the Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan (CSIP)
• Monitor and provide feedback on the patients' function and general mental health condition during the course of intervention, reporting and changes to the mental health team

If you are interested in career development, we have a wide range of opportunities for you to develop your skills and experience, which include both internal and external options for development and learning.

It doesn’t stop there

We also offer:

• Company pension scheme
• 25 days annual leave increasing with service up to 28 days per year, plus public bank holidays
• An extensive range of wellbeing and lifestyle benefits
• Discounts on shopping and leisure activities
• Support to grow in your role and continue your professional development
• 24/7 employee assistance helpline and financial assistance when you need it

What we'll look for in you

The Health in Justice team at Practice Plus Group makes a real difference across over 53 prisons, young offenders and immigration removal centres. We’re the UK’s leading independent provider of NHS services to over 40,000 patients in secure environments, always putting their needs first, regardless of their background.

Practice Plus Group’s purpose is to Unlock your best work life and we stand by our core values:

• We treat patients and each other as they would like to be treated
• We act with integrity
• We embrace diversity
• We strive to do things better together

Our new Assistant Psychologist will:

• Hold a Degree in Psychology
• Although not essential, a Masters Degree would be beneficial
• Have experience within a paid Assistant Psychologist role, whether in a prison, community setting, psychiatric environment
• Be experienced in facilitating patient therapeutic groups, and delivering psychological assessment, formulation and intervention in the structure of an evidence based therapeutic model (e.g. CBT / CFT / DBT)
• Experience of working within a secure environment would be a bonus, although not essential

Secure environments are one of the most challenging, yet rewarding places for healthcare professionals to work. If you’re looking for a role where you can develop your existing healthcare skills and learn something new every day in an environment that never stands still, then this could be the right opportunity for you.